Rabbit Care |
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What can I feed my mini lop rabbit? NEVER! feed your rabbit lettuce or cabbage as they can cause lethal diarrhoea. Many people debate this issue, but there is simply no need to take the risk. The best pellets are not those that contain nuts or crunchy bits that look pretty, but should be good quality pellets low in fat and high in fibre. Mini lops need about 3/4 cup of good quality pellets every day and a generous amount of good quality grass hay, which you get from the pet shop. However, if a rabbit is pregnant or lactating they should have a constant supply of food in front of them all day. Rabbits can eat fresh green grass and vegetables including; broccoli, silver beet, celery; water cress, puha and dark leafy greens like parsley, and dandelion leaves. As a treat, once or twice a week, and if your rabbit is over 4 months of age, you can feed it a carrot, pear, banana or an apple. Brown -bread and Weetbix can also bed given occasionally. If you are feeding grass, make sure that you do not take grass from a busy roadside, where a lawn has been sprayed with fertilizer, weed killer, or any other kind of chemical. Of course, as with all animals, your rabbit will need constant access to plenty of fresh, clean water. Rabbit drink bottles that attach to the outside of the cage is best, but a heavy crockery dish will do as long as your rabbit doesn't tip it over when it's bored.
Why is my rabbit eating it's poo/droppings? Should you see your rabbit eat it's own poo, DON"T PANIC!!! Rabbits produce two types of poo, one type are small hard balls which are odourless, and the others are soft smelly droppings called cecotropes, whick looks like a dark brown mulberry, or tightly bunched grapes. Cecotropes are not actually feces. They are nutrient-packed dietary items essential to your companion rabbit's good health, which the rabbit will often eat directly from their own anus. This may sound disgusting to you and I. However, the rabbit's blissful expression while eating the cecotropes will tell you that they find it anything but disgusting. In fact, rabbits deprived of their cecotropes will eventually succumb to malnutrition and may die. |
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